Tom Scribner and I made an excursion on Sunday May 18th for the purpose of checking Bluebird nest boxes and replacing any that might be damaged. This short post contains a few images from that trip.
We headed east out of Walla Walla past Pomeroy and turned south on Sweeny Gulch Road just before you get to Alpowa Summit Rest area. The circle in red on this image indicates the general area where we were.
This is a Male Mountain Bluebird very vibrant blue in color. On this particular trip we only saw Mountain Bluebirds no Western Bluebirds and for some reason no Tree Swallows. We always find a few Tree Swallows utilizing some number of nest boxes.
We are at a little higher elevation about 3,600 feet and we frequently find these Cassin's Finches. Very striking birds and at one point we saw a flock of about 14 Cassin's. Neat birds
This is a very old and worn out nest box. It has lived well past it's usefulness. Tom took this one down and we replaced it on the post with a new one.
Now it gets to be fun. The clouds rolled in and it started snowing, that nice spring corn snow. The road and the surrounding ground was turning white. Who carries chains for their car in May? Glad we have 4WD.
Accompanying the snow was a big drop in temperature. It got down to 34 degrees and keep in mind this is the middle of May. We both looked at each other, laughed a bit and questioned "What the heck are we doing here"
This gives you a little perspective on the snow. There were nesting Bluebirds in probably 80 percent of the boxes we checked with either eggs or young bluebirds. Many nestboxes had Bluebirds sitting in front or adjacent to the box so we just left those alone.
Tom is checking another box. It is starting to snow harder now. Who said checking Bluebird nest boxes was dull and boring?
We hope you enjoyed this collection of images. Understand that checking Bluebird Nest boxes is not always such a memorable experience. This was a fun day, really.
Let us know if you have any questions
All the Best
George and Tom
Do you two kids have a license to have that much fun?
ReplyDeleteHow fascinating! The snow has made your trip out one to remember.
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for sharing. Love, Signe
I’m sure you held an umbrella for Tom while he checked the boxes, but I don’t see that in any of the photos.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very “cool” adventure, Love the pictures and glad the nests were occupied. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHappy memories made I’m sure. Thanks for sharing, great photos! Patty
ReplyDelete